This application is based on Patent Application Nos. 2000-26113 filed Feb. 3, 2000 and 2000-26114 filed Feb. 3, 2000 in Japan, the content of which is incorporated hereinto by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink-printing medium integrated type pack accommodating ink and a printing medium to be used in an ink-jet printing system, an ink-jet printing apparatus and an ink-jet printing method, in which the integrated type pack can be employed in detachable fashion.
2. Description of the Related Art
The ink jet printing system is carried out by causing fine droplets of inks to fly and adhere to a printing medium such as paper based on various operational principles, to print images, characters, or the like, thereby enabling printing with low noise at a high speed. The ink jet printing system has advantages such as facilitation of multicolor printing and is characterized by a high degree of freedom for recordable patterns, elimination of the necessity of development or fixation, and others. Thus, printing apparatuses based on this system have been rapidly spread in various fields including that of data processing to accommodate various images and print media.
In addition, images formed by means of the multicolor ink jet printing system can easily stand comparison with multicolor printing based on the plate making system or photographic printing based on the color photographing system. The multicolor ink jet printing system enables images to be produced more inexpensively than normal multicolor printing or photographic printing if a small number of copies are particularly to be printed and is thus widely used in the field of full-color image printing.
To accommodate wider applications of the ink jet printing system and enable the recent improvement of printing characteristics such as an increased printing speed, an improved definition, and full color printing, efforts are being made to improve the printing apparatus and method. Characteristics required to achieve wider applications of the ink jet printing system and improve the printing characteristics include, for example, a high density of printed ink dots, bright and clear color tones, fast ink absorption, prevention of outflow or bleeding of inks despite overlapping ink dots, and spread of ink dots with appropriate bleeding.
It is known that these characteristics are realized not only by the printing apparatus and method but also by improving inks or printing media used for printing.
For example, it is known that coated paper is used as a printing medium due to ink absorptivity and fixability achieved thereby. The coated paper comprises, for example, a silicon pigment such as silica, or an absorbing polymer including a resin such as colloidal silica, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene oxide-isocyanate crosslinked material, or an acrylic polymer having a carboxyl group, or an aluminum-based pigment such as alumina hydrated compound or aluminum oxide, which is each coated on paper, a film, cloth, or the like together with an aqueous binder or the like. On the other hand, inks have their permeability adjusted by means of a surface-active agent or the like contained therein.
To accommodate the improvement of the printing characteristics, however, an optimal combination of printing media and inks which can realize these characteristics is more preferably selected by individually selecting printing media or inks depending on each of the characteristics. This is because the inks and the printing media show each of the characteristics through their mutual relationship.
In this case, to specifically realize the optical combination of the printing media and the inks in an inkjet printing apparatus, configurations and operations are required which replace or install the printing media or the inks depending on a combination of printing media and inks. Additionally, an operation is required for setting printing conditions on, for example, a host computer; for example, a printing mode must be set depending on such a combination. That is, it is cumbersome to carry out the above operations or setting operations each time the combination is switched. It is also difficult for a user to obtain the optimal combination.
In this regard, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Heisei 11-254700 discloses a technology to detachably load a media cartridge, in which a combination of a cassette portion stacking printing media and either an ink tank or a waste ink tank collecting waste ink is integrated, in a printing apparatus. Then, by recognizing the detachably loaded media cartridge in the printing apparatus on the side of the printing apparatus, a printing mode adapting to the printing medium and the ink can be set automatically to permit appropriate printing control adapting to the combination of the printing medium and the ink with a simple operation.
However, in the above-identified publication, while the media cartridge, in which the cassette containing the printing media and the ink tank are integrated, has been disclosed, there is no disclosure for a particular construction of the printing apparatus employing the cartridge in consideration of down-sizing of the printing apparatus and handling of the cartridge.
Also, there is no suggestion for combination of the printing medium and the ink to realize desired printing characteristics in view of material or composition of both of the printing medium and the ink. Namely, in the above-identified publication, when plain paper is set as the printing medium in a plain paper cartridge, setting of the inks is consisted of a treatment liquid, black, yellow magenta and cyan, and, on the other hand, when coated paper, glossy paper, or an OHP sheet, setting of the inks is consisted of the inks similar to the former but excluding the treatment liquid. The reason is that on the coated paper or the like, on which an ink receptacle layer is coated, usage of the treatment liquid making the dye insoluble may degrade image quality. Further, in the above-identified publication, it is disclosed that when a photographic image quality mode is set setting of the inks is consisted of high density black, low density black, high density yellow, low density yellow, high density magenta, low density magenta, high density cyan and low density cyan inks, for example.
As set forth above, in the above-identified publication, there is only disclosed the cartridge, in which combination of inks selected among several kinds of inks easily distinguished by users depending upon the printing medium or the printing mode, are integrated.
On the other hand, from a view pint of dye-affinity, even the printing media appear to be the same, adapted ink compositions should be different if materials or compositions of the printing media are different. In view of this, there are optimal combinations of the printing media and the ink compositions. Particularly, in combination of the paper and the ink, one of important factors significantly influencing for image quality is bleeding of the ink to significantly vary clarity or granular feeding of the image depending upon a degree of bleeding. In this case, it is almost impossible for users to select the combination adapting to the quality of the image desired to form.
Furthermore, as another problem, the most of currently known ink-jet printing apparatuses are more or less inclined to certain characteristics. In such case, it is relatively difficult to satisfy above mentioned various requirements for the printing characteristics.
For example, one of characteristics of the printing head as one factor determining the printing characteristics is a life of a printing head per se. In the case that the printer is used frequently, increasing of durability is desired. Also, as characteristics of the ink, it is desired that residual ink in nozzles in the printing head can be easily removed by recovery operation or the like even after non-use for a relatively long period. It is also desired that composition of the ink can be maintained unchanged so as not to cause change in color. In this circumstance, characteristics of the ink-jet printing apparatus is restricted by the factors set forth above. Therefore, if the ink-jet printing apparatus satisfying all of the characteristics is to be provided, the apparatus inherently becomes bulky and costly. For this reason, manufacturers of the ink-jet printing apparatus or the like, tend to adapt the printing apparatus to some particular characteristics, such as for the user using the printing apparatus frequently, for the user requiring high grade and high quality image, for the user using the printing apparatus under high temperature or low temperature environment and so on, with limiting performance to particular characteristics, and then manufacture and/or sale the printing apparatus adapting to the main trend of demand in the market. If one user possessing an ink-jet printing apparatus having certain characteristics A and wishes it to perform printing which requires another characteristics B, even when a particular mode adapting to the characteristics B is set, there is a limitation for adaptation. Therefore, if the user desires to satisfactorily adapt to the characteristics B, there is no choice but purchasing another printing apparatus provided with the characteristics B.
Particularly, in the case of textile printing for printing on cloth, there is a further problem. Different from printing on paper or a film, the textile printing requires processes of fixing of dye and washing. Therefore, in order not to be washed off the dye in the washing process, it becomes important to perform dying and fixing in a manner of binding where the dye and cloth are matched with each other. However, it is impossible for the user to know the kind of coloring agent contained in the ink from its appearance, possibly causing unmatching in selection of the ink and cloth and resulting in dying failure.
In addition, similar problem to the above should be caused in a relationship between size of particles of a coloring agent in ink and an ink receptacle layer in a printing medium. Namely, when pigment is contained in the ink as a coloring agent and if an average diameter of fine holes in the ink receptacle layer of the printing medium is smaller than an average grain size of the pigment, pigment particles may not be firmly penetrate into the fine holes in the ink receptacle layer to result in lowering of wear resistance of the printed image. However, for the user, it is quite difficult or even impossible to recognize grain size of the pigment particle in the ink or size of the fine holes on the surface of the printing medium. Therefore, it is possible to cause error in selection of optimal combination of the ink and the printing medium.
The present invention has been worked out for solving the problems set forth above. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ink-printing medium integrated type-pack and an ink-jet printing apparatus and ink-jet printing method capable of using the integrated type pack with detachably loading the same, which can realize various printing characteristics with simple construction, and particularly can provide optimal combination of ink and a printing medium to be easily selected by user, and can certainly provide desired quality of image.
In an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an integrated type pack containing ink and a printing medium,
wherein the printing medium is cloth and the ink contains dye which can dye the cloth as the printing medium.
Here, the ink may contain reactive dye and the printing medium is cloth to be dyed by covalent bond with the reactive dye.
The ink may contain acid dye or direct dye and the printing medium is cloth to be dyed by hydrogen bond or ionic bond with the acid dye or direct dye.
The ink may contain disperse dye and the printing medium is cloth to be dyed by intermolecular bond with disperse dye.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an integrated type pack containing ink and a printing medium,
wherein the ink contains pigment and the printing medium has an ink receptacle layer for receiving the pigment, the ink receptacle layer having fine holes greater than or equal to 50% of which has a diameter greater than an average particle diameter of the pigment.
Here, the ink receptacle layer may have fine holes greater than or equal to 70% of which has a diameter greater than an average particle diameter of the pigment.
The pack may be provided with a stirring means capable of stirring the pigment in the ink.
In a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink-jet printing apparatus detachably loaded the pack as specified above, having a transporting means for transporting the printing medium in the pack, and the ink supplied from the pack being applied to the printing medium by a printing head for performing printing.
The ink may contain reactive dye and the printing medium is cloth to be dyed by covalent bond with the reactive dye.
The ink may contain acid dye or direct dye and the printing medium is cloth to be dyed by hydrogen bond or ionic bond with the acid dye or direct dye.
The ink may contain disperse dye and the printing medium is cloth to be dyed by intermolecular bond with the disperse dye.
The ink receptacle layer may have fine holes greater than or equal to 70% of which has a diameter greater than an average particle diameter of the pigment.
The pack may-be provided with a stirring means capable of stirring the pigment in the ink.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a textile printing method applying the ink supplied from the pack as specified above claimed onto the cloth as the printing medium, and including washing and drying steps performed subsequently after color development process.
Steam may be used in a color development process.
In still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pack integrally formed with a printing medium receptacle portion receiving a printing medium and an ink receptacle portion receiving ink,
wherein the ink received in the ink receptacle portion has a coloring agent content in a range of 2.0 Wt % to 15.0 Wt %,
the printing medium received in the printing medium receptacle portion has a bleeding ratio as printed by the ink in a range of 2.0 times to 4.0 times.
Here, the ink received in the ink receptacle portion may have a coloring agent content in a range of 2.5 Wt % to 12.0 Wt %.
The ink received in the ink receptacle portion may have a coloring agent content in a range of 3.0 Wt % to 10.0 Wt %.
The printing medium received in the printing medium receptacle portion may have a bleeding ratio as printed by the ink in a range of 2.3 times to 3.7 times.
The printing medium received in the printing medium receptacle portion may have a bleeding ratio as printed by the ink in a range of 2.5 times to 3.5 times
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pack integrally formed with a printing medium receptacle portion receiving printing medium and an ink receptacle portion receiving ink,
wherein the ink received in the ink receptacle portion includes an ink having a coloring agent content in a range of 2.0 Wt % to 15.0 Wt % and an ink containing no coloring agent and having surface tension of 40 mN/m or less at 25xc2x0 C.,
the printing medium received in the printing medium receptacle portion has a bleeding ratio as printed by the ink in a range of 2.0 times to 4.0 times.
Here, the ink received in the ink receptacle portion may have a coloring agent content in a range of 2.5 Wt % to 12.0 Wt %.
The ink received in the ink receptacle portion may have a coloring agent content in a range of 3.0 Wt % to 10.0 Wt %.
The printing medium received in the printing medium receptacle portion may have a bleeding ratio as printed by the ink in a range of 2.3 times to 3.7 times.
The printing medium received in the printing medium receptacle portion may have a bleeding ratio as printed by the ink in a range of 2.5 times to 3.5 times.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink-jet printing apparatus including a loading portion detachably loading the pack set forth above, comprising:
ink introducing means for introducing an ink from the pack to an ink tank communicated with a printing head; and
printing medium feeding means for sequentially feeding the printing medium stored in the pack to a printing position by the printing head one by one.
The printing head may generate a bubble by thermal energy and ejects the ink by the pressure of the bubble.
With the construction set forth above, the ink and the printing medium of optimal combination with respect to a dye-affinity of the ink to the printing medium and a relationship between size of coloring agent of the ink and fine hole diameter in the ink receptacle layer of the printing medium can be packed in the integrated pack. Therefore, even when the user does not recognize optimal combination of the ink and the printing medium in connection with the dye-affinity and fine hole size, printing can be performed with optimal combination in view of printing characteristics when one of the ink or the printing medium can be identified. Also, even when the user cannot identify neither ink nor the printing medium and selects one of the packs, the combination of the ink and the printing medium is still optimal to obtain printing with the quality intended for the selected combination of the ink and the printing medium.
The above and other objects, effects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.